She made the decision to go on the trip in August 2015 after
she was diagnosed with uterine cancer and was asked by a doctor about how she
would like to proceed with her treatment. Norma, whose husband had died two days earlier, simply replied: “I’m
90 years old, I’m hitting the road.”

Her decision has been widely supported on her Facebook page
documenting her trip, called Driving Miss Norma.

In a post on the page, her family wrote about the decision
to not have treatment and to travel instead. According to them, Norma’s doctor
fully supported the idea and said: “As doctors we see what cancer treatment
looks like every day. ICU, nursing homes, awful side effects and honestly,
there is no guarantee she will survive the initial surgery to remove the mass. You are doing exactly what I would want to do in this situation.
Have a fantastic trip!”